How to Draw Carl Lewis

Step 1.

Here's a quick head study of Carl Lewis for reference. He has short hair and is very fit (he's an athlete, after all).

Step 2.

To draw the track star, we should first sketch in some basic guide lines. Use a 2H or harder pencil, and sketch very lightly so that the lines are easy to erase later on after we ink. Sketch out a full body stick figure shape such as this. It should be a side view of him as he is running full stride, with his arms and legs outstretched.

Step 3.

It's a good idea to elaborate on the construction lines. Draw the basic human form over your stick figure shape by using circles and cylinders for the limbs. Draw the construction lines of the facial features. Doing this will help ensure that the figure is proportionate before we go any further. These lines don't need to be perfect, since they are still just a guide.

Step 4.

Let's start with his eye. We should only be able to see his right eye looking straight ahead. From the side, it looks like a sideways V shape that has a rounded front end. Draw the eyelids above and below the eye. Also draw the eyebrow which should be resting atop the upper eyelid. The eye should rest in the center of the face, near the front of the head.

Step 5.

The nose should end half way between the eye and chin. There is a curved indentation in front of the eye where the skull meets the bridge of the nose. The bridge gradually curves forwards until it merges with the round tip of the nose. The back of the nostril should align with the front of the eye.

Step 6.

His mouth should be open since he's running and therefore breathing heavily. The upper lip should not stick out quite as far as the nose, and the lower lip should not stick out quite as far as the upper lip. The corner of his mouth should align with the front of the eye. Also draw his chin which is slightly small.

Step 7.

Now draw his forehead, jaw, and ear. The forehead should have a smoother curve to it as it reaches for the hairline. The bottom of his jaw should recede back from his chin towards his neck, but not connect all the way to his ear. There should be a second jaw line protruding from the ear and bending towards the chin, yet it does not connect to the first jaw line. Instead, it rests on top of the first jaw line. His ear should be in the center of his head, but slightly towards the back. Also draw a thin diagonal line for his high cheek bone.

Step 8.

As mentioned previously, his hair is short and well groomed. He has somewhat of a flat-top haircut. The hair is very thick and curly, but no sideburns. Do not worry about drawing individual strands, since we will black out the hair later when we ink.

Step 9.

When drawing his neck, be sure to draw the lines curved back towards his torso, rather than straight up and down. The back of his neck should have a short curved line connecting to his back. The front of his neck will have a longer line with a bump in the middle for the Adam's apple. Be sure to draw diagonal lines in the neck for muscles and tendons.

Step 10.

We should draw his upper torso before drawing his shirt. Keep in mind that some of these lines will be erased later on, but doing it this way helps ensure accuracy. Although it's a side view, his torso should be bent in such a way that we are able to see his upper chest almost at a 3/4 angle. He is very muscular, but not bulky. He has large chest muscles and well defined upper shoulder muscles.

Step 11.

We can now draw his track shirt, which is very loose fabric and sleeveless. You'll need to erase some of the lines from the previous step. Draw a few creases in the fabric of the shirt.

Step 12.

Draw his right arm extended back behind his body. Remember that he is muscular, but thin. Think lean. He has very well defined muscles that should be stretched out. His shoulder muscle should merge into the upper arm muscles in a teardrop shape. Don't worry about the hands just yet.

Step 13.

The left arm should be in front of his body and bent at the elbow. This will cause his bicep to bulge some, creating a more significant indentation between the shoulder muscle and bicep.

Step 14.

Now draw his hands. The hands should be perfectly straight so as to make him more aerodynamic. We should be able to clearly see the back of his right hand, and the palm of his left hand. The fingers should all be perfectly straight and near each other. Be sure to draw the creases of the knuckles and the palm of the hand.

Step 15.

Go back to the body and draw his shorts. We should only be able to see a small portion of the right sleeve, since track shorts are very short. Draw a few creases in the fabric emerging from his crotch area.

Step 16.

His legs should be particularly muscular, but still thin, especially the lower leg. His right leg should be bent at a perfect 90 degree angle, almost as if he's sitting in a chair. Draw several long curved lines in the upper and lower leg for muscle tone. We should also be able to see the lower contours of his round gluteus muscle at the rear of the leg.

Step 17.

The left leg should be trailing far behind the body. It should be slightly bent at the knee. The ankle should extend beyond the right hand. Draw a few curved creases for muscle tone. Notice how the back of the upper leg has a large bulge near the top.

Step 18.

Now draw his track shoes which should be fairly simple in design and no higher than the ankles. You should draw a thin line for the sole of the shoe.

Step 19.

Go back to the uniform and add a design. One his chest we should be able to see the start of the letters USE, with the number 9 below them. Down the side of the uniform should be start and stripes.

Step 20.

Now that we're done penciling the image, we can now move on to inks! You can either use a brush and India ink, or Micron markers. A brush works great when inking muscles and body contours, but Microns work great for clothing emblems. Be careful not to erase any unneeded guide lines. When the ink has dried, erase your pencil marks with a kneaded eraser.

Step 21.

Let's add some shadow to give the image more depth. Since races are held in a lot of light, we don't need to go overboard with shading. Use either a brush and ink, or a fat tipped black marker. Completely shade in the hair, as well as the area beneath his eyebrow, jaw line, under his arms, and the top of his right leg just behind the left leg.

Step 22.

And that's about it! If you need to make any corrections you can use white ink or opaque white paint. And that's how you draw the legendary Carl Lewis! You get the gold!

Members Login Here

DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest!
Register Now!